Now that Mark McGwire’s time on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is up, another controversial player will take his place: Manny Ramirez.
The former Boston Red Sox left fielder had an incredible 19-year career, but it ended with two performance-enhancing drug suspensions. However, Ramirez doesn’t think that should necessarily take away from everything else he achieved.
“Life is like that. You make mistakes,” Ramirez told the Chicago Sun-Times’ Gordon Wittenmyer recently. “Everybody makes mistakes. We’re humans. You’ve made mistakes; I’ve made mistakes. Everybody.
“Like I say with some of my friends, I could tell you, ‘Look at that guy: He’s a cheater, he uses steroids.’ Maybe you smoke weed. Maybe you do cocaine. Maybe you cheat on your wife. Maybe you’re a drunkard. It’s the same. Nobody’s perfect.”
Ramirez’s situation is a bit stickier than some of the usual steroid suspects because he actually tested positive. But it’s still hard to ignore his .312 career batting average, .996 OPS, 555 home runs, 12 All-Star nods, nine silver slugger awards and 2004 World Series MVP award.
Plus, it’s very possible, probable even, that Ramirez wouldn’t be the first PED user in the Hall if elected. Ramirez avoided a question about whether he knew of any users who already were inducted.
“I just try to enjoy life every day and move on,” Ramirez said. “I don’t even watch stuff like that. Because life is so short for you to worry about little things. These guys — nobody’s perfect. And everybody’s made mistakes.”
Thumbnail photo via Steve Mitchell/USA TODAY Sports Images
